Hyderabad, Saturday, February 10, 2018: Firefox Bikes and Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF) today organized the Hyderabad edition of ‘#EverydayAbility,’ an inclusive event that witnessed able-bodied individuals as well as Persons with Disability participating in Rock Climbing Activity at Khajaguda Rock Climbing, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The event was the fifth in the series of #EverydayAbility events with the first four being held in Pune, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bengaluru where participants performed Rappling, Slacklining, Paramotoring and Wall Climbing acitivities. The initiative hopes to build an ecosystem grounded in the principles of dialogue, acceptance, and equality of all.

Firefox Bikes and Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF) formed this collaboration aimed to demonstrate that adventure is for all. The collaboration is committed to dispelling misconceptions surrounding Persons with Disability (PWDs), proving that disability is not an impediment to adventure. Through various events hosted in seven cities across India, the host organisations hope to facilitate both systemic and individual change – inclusive workspaces for PWDs while simultaneously fostering attitudinal change via conversations that shatter stereotypes.

Firefox Bikes is an organization aimed at bringing adventure closer to urban Indian audiences in a simple yet effective and memorable way, using the platform to overturn subconscious negative beliefs about disability. It should come as no surprise then that the company’s CSR wing has chosen to commit to the goal of inclusive adventure. In the words of Aditya Munjal, CEO of Firefox Bikes, “it is with pleasure that we have kickstarted Firefox’s CSR efforts, towards enhancing inclusion and employability for PWDs. We are confident that this opportunity, christened #EverydayAdventure, will truly blossom into a vibrant platform for people independent of disability.”

To collaborate on this vision, the organisation partnered with ABBF, a non-profit that hosts adaptive and inclusive adventure sports that cater to various disabilities alongside able-bodied individuals. Established in 2014, the organisation has thusfar impacted about 4000 PWDs as well as about 1.5 lakh able-bodied individuals. For the team, this collaboration is the start of an important social change. “If you want to see large-scale systemic change, it is imperative to have corporates and other large organisations buy into the cause. It paves the path and sends out a message, loud and clear. This role-modelling, this willingness to take a stand, is what acts as the true impetus to social change. We are very excited to see the partnership with Firefox unfold,” says Divyanshu Ganatra, Founder of ABBF.

This collaboration between Firefox and ABBF is facilitated by Volunteer4India, an online platform that seeks to create an ecosystem of co-working volunteers, corporates and educational institutions committed towards various social causes. With Firefox and ABBF, they seek to facilitate long-term conversation between PWDs and able-bodied individuals through online platforms long after the end of the event. Given the shared vision and unwavering commitment of all three organisations, this collaboration could spark larger social change, one that mainstreams conversations about disability and allows PWDs to truly partake of inclusive and accessible spaces.